Author Notes: I have always had a "thing" for raw celery in salad. It has to do with texture - the crunchy factor that celery delivers. It lends itself well to so many other flavors. Here, it is paired with lightly sauteed mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and lemon vinaigrette. It makes a nice side at dinner, but it is equally as delicious with a slice of baguette for lunch.
- Waverly

Food52 Review: WHO: Waverly, a lawyer-turned-full-time-mom, wholesome meal advocate and all around super home cook!
WHAT: A delicate yet satisfying salad of celery and mushroom.
HOW: Just a little slicing and squeezing and in almost no time, you're looking at one beautiful dish.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Earthy sauteed mushrooms and parmesan pack a lovely umami punch, bringing perfect balance to the crunch of the celery and zing of the lemon. We could happily eat this salad every day. - The Editors

Serves 4-6

7tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

1pound mushrooms, delicate varieties such as cremini, oyster, or shiitake are best, wiped clean as sliced as thin as possible

2tablespoons fresh lemon juice

8 ribs celery, shaved paper thin (use a mandolin if you have one)

1cup shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

SAUTE THE MUSHROOMS: In a skillet, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over MEDIUM HIGH heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and then set aside to cool.

TOSS THE SALAD: In a large serving bowl, whisk the remaining 4 Tbsp olive oil with the lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper and then taste. Add more oil or lemon juice as you like. Add the celery, cooled mushrooms, cheese, and parsley to the bowl and toss until combined. Season with sea salt and pepper and serve.

Outstanding! This salad is so simple, quick and delicious! I will be making it again and again. I used button and oyster mushrooms, and probably a little less celery.Katelinlee is right, the leftovers are nice, but this dish is definitely better freshly made.

Delicious! Does anyone have an idea of how this does when made the night before? Should I just saute the mushrooms and slice the celery, then dress it in the morning? Or does pre-sliced celery lose its crispness? Is this one of those salads that's actually better as leftovers when the flavors have had time to mingle?

It's a treat for lunch the next day but I wouldn't necessarily call it company worthy. I think it's better freshly made, but it does do very well if made an hour or two before serving and left to sit. I've served it with a galette made the night before and prepped this salad while it reheated.

I have a new Kitchenaid food processor to break in so I made this last night--paper thin celery slices like a dream. Also did a nice slice on the mushroom. Such a huge it with my guests, everyone ate at least two servings, two people asked for the recipe. Who knew celery could taste like some delicious, exotic lettuce when done this way?

This was delicious! I made it to prelude a hearty Italian stew for a dinner party. I would, however, recommend cutting the cheese down by a 1/4 cup. I personally felt that it was too overpowering for the mushrooms, but otherwise very good.

You know those times when you are absolutely starving and hour before dinner reservations? This is the appetizer recipe for you! The flavors in this dish are amazing! To make it even more effortless, rather than sauteing delicate mushrooms, I used 1 lb large, raw portobello mushrooms caps- cleaned and thinly sliced. I also swapped the Parmesan for Pecorino Romano, which is made of sheep's milk and in my opinion, adds even more depth of flavor. The results were earthy, bright, clean, salty/nutty and fabulous.

I've never liked celery. But what I don't like even more is throwing away unused celery so I made this and it was scrumptious! I really wasn't expecting it to be! The paper thin slices mellow out the overpowering celery flavor and texture while still maintaining crunch and non-sogginess. The mushroom and Parmesan bring it together and make it a savory and delicious.

We just finished supper with this as one of the sides, and I couldn't wait to report how wonderful it was! I loved it! It was remarkable how nicely the parmesan and lemon tied together the distinct flavors and textures of the celery and mushrooms. I'll definitely be making it again soon!

I decided to make this because it looked & sounded good. However, because we do not like raw celery, I used a fancy lettuce & spinach mixture. For mushrooms, I used porcini, reconstituting them in beef broth. In addition to the olive oil & lemon juice, I also splashed on some 25-year balsamic vinegar. Unfortunately, I did not like the blend of flavors from the mushrooms mixed in with the greens - the flavors just did not mesh well together for me. My husband, however, did like it. I probably will not make again, though perhaps I just used the wrong type of mushroom for this salad..